Bat For Lashes - Laura

Natasha Khan has long held a fondness for names as song titles; previous album ‘Two Suns’ was trailed by the sweeping majesty of ‘Daniel’. Here, the first cut from her forthcoming third record, ‘The Haunted Man’, carries on this tradition. ‘Laura’ is a much gentler but no less striking piece.

Over an opulent piano, Khan directly addresses the title character, a seemingly wild type refusing to abandon her decadent ways in an increasingly lonely pursuit of glamour and thrills. The opening line explains the story firmly: ‘you say that they’ve all left you behind / your heart broke when the party died’.

‘Laura’ could arguably be seen as a companion to ‘Fur and Gold’ standout ‘Prescilla’. Whereas the latter’s protagonist wishes to settle down to embrace love and companionship, ‘Laura’ seems intent on wild abandon to the point where Khan seems almost enthralled by her (‘when your smile is so wide and your heels are so high’).

Vocals are at the heart of the track, Khan’s voice showing itself as incredibly rich and sensual. There’s a moment half way through where it swells and the timbre in her tone rises to such levels that it’s truly breathtaking. And, as she proclaims the song’s subject to be the ‘glitter in the dark’, pleading with her to show that she’s ‘more than a superstar’, there’s still hope in there.

‘Laura’ is both rich in storytelling and a prime example of Natasha Khan’s fine compositional skills. More importantly than that, it’s an utterly spellbinding song.